We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Identifying Gazelles: Expert Panels vs. Surveys as a Means to Identify Firms with Rapid Growth Potential.
- Authors
Fafchamps, Marcel; Woodruff, Christopher
- Abstract
We conduct a business plan competition to test whether survey instruments or panel judges are able to identify the fastest growing firms. Participants submitted six- to eight-page business plans and defended them before a three- or four-judge panel. We surveyed applicants shortly after they applied and one and two years after the competition. We use follow-up surveys to construct measures of enterprise growth and baseline surveys and panel scores to construct measures of enterprise growth potential. We find that a measure of ability correlates strongly with future growth, but that the panel scores add to predictive power even after controlling for ability and other survey variables. The survey questions have more power to explain the variance in growth. Participants presenting before the panel were given a chance to win customized management training. Fourteen months after the training, we find no positive effect of the training on growth of the business.
- Subjects
BUSINESS enterprises; ECONOMIC indicators; BUSINESS development; BUSINESS planning; ORGANIZATIONAL growth; STRATEGIC planning
- Publication
World Bank Economic Review, 2017, Vol 31, Issue 3, p670
- ISSN
0258-6770
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/wber/lhw026